It is important that you understand how to create your .asf files so they can stream over a reduced bandwidth network. Before you begin creating .asf files, check the server's maximum .asf file bit rate. To determine the maximum .asf file bandwidth allowed, check the Unicast Configuration on the NetShow Server Admistration Web page.
Once you know the maximum size of the .asf file you can create, you are ready to begin. Other than the ASF Editor, the tools that you use to create .asf files do not force you to scale your source files to fit a certain bandwidth. The NetShow tools convert source file(s) directly to the Active Streaming format. Once an .asf file has been converted, it is still the same size as the original source. To find the bit rate, divide the file's total number of bits by the time length in seconds. This number will give you a good idea of whether the file is suitable for streaming across the network. If the file is too large, you must convert the source files to fit within the network bandwidth.
There are many ways to reduce the size of an .asf file, including editing the source files or using codecs to compress the source files. Unfortunately, you cannot edit the .asf files to reduce the bit rate. To reduce the bit rate, you must edit the source files and then re-convert the source files into an .asf file.
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